Railroad-rail joint.



0. V. BERKLBY, RAILROAD BAIL JOINT. APPLICATION mum AIB. 21, 1008.

919,681 Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

M 2 g V 2 i i/ 10 a Hm" FL- 9'2 .9 3 /7 6 j I I Una YEW/6% Quorum UNITED STATE OFFIQE.

OSCAR V. BERKLEY, OF FLAT LICK, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HA LF TO LEE A. TURNER, OF MIDDLESBORO, KENTUCKY.

RAILROAD-RAIL JOINT.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, OSCAR V. BERKLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flat Lick, in the county of Knox and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to joints for railroad rails; and it has for its object to provide a rail joint which shall be simple in construction and thoroughly eflicient in operation; which shall be free from the bolts and fish plates ordinarily employed in the formation of a rail joint; which shall enable the rails to be quickly heeled together and assembled or disconnected as may be required, and which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability and general efiiciency.

With these and other ends in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,

ut that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the invention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the abutting ends of two rails connected by the improved joint. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a erspective detail view of one of the rail en s. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the opposite or abutting rail end.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The abutting rail ends 1 and 2 are provided with enlargements 3 and 4 which are of approximately triangular shape and which extend laterally beyond the foot flanges of the rails so as to form broad and extended supports for the rail ends. These enlargements are preferably integral with the rail, in order that the greatest possible strength and abil ity to resist strain and wear may be secured.

The rail end 1 is provided with an outward extending triangular fin or flange 5 which is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1908.

Patented April 27', 1909.

Serial No. 428,330.

of a width approximately equal to the thickness of the vertical web of the rail, although the dimensions may be varied at will. Adj acent to the upper end of said lin or flange there is formed, in the head of the rail, a rec-- tangular recess or socket 6 adapted for the reception of a correspondingly shaped projection 7 which extends outwardly from the head of the abutting rail end 2. The latter is also provided with an approximately triangular recess 8 for the accommodation of the lin or flange 5 projecting from the abutting rail end 1.

A chair 9 is provided, the same consisting of a plate of metal provided along its side edges with inturned ilanges 10-10 adapted to en age the enlargements and l upon the abutting rail ends; these enlargements may be readily slid into position in the chair, and the chair and the rail llan or enlargements are provided with registering apertures 11 and 12 for the rece )tion of spikes 13 having downturned or inc ined heads 14 specially constructed to lit the inclined sides 01' the chair; the chair and the rail ends are assembled by simply driving the spikes into the cross tie which is placed underneath in the usual manner, and said spikes will be amply sullicient to secure the rails against accidental displacement.

From the foregoing description. taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, it will be seen that the rail ends are assembled and connected without the use of bolts and nuts and without the use of 'lish plates such as are ordinarily en'iployed in the 'l'ormation ol' rail joints; this not only brings about a reduction ol' expense, but it is obvious that the loosening of the rail joint due to loss and displacement ol' the nuts from the bolts becomes out ol the question. The abutting rail. ends, by the herein described improvement, will be locked together in such a manner that accidental displacement will be practically impossible; the rail ends being interlocked in such a manner as to prevent displacement vertically as well as laterally. Apart from the danger of dislocation ol the rails, the improved rail joint will be l'ound extremely advantageous for the reason that the rails are thereby retained in perfect and ab solute alinement, thus providing a perfectly smooth and level surface or track for the rolling stock and obviating the excessive wear which is due to even slight imperl'ections in the proper alinement oi the rails and maintenance oi the track. A track constructed 7 with the improved rails may also be maintained in perfect condition with greater ease and at much less expense than tracks composed of rails connected in the customary manner by means oi bolts and fish plates.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, is

1. A rail joint comprising abutting rail ends having laterally extending triangular enlargements, said enlargements extending beyond the base flanges of said ra l ends, one

of the rail ends bein )rovided with an out- Wardly extending triangular flange and with a rectangular recess adjacent to the upper edge of said flange and the opposite or abutting rail end being provided with triangular recess for the accommodation of the flange and with a rectangular lug projecting from the head thereof and adapted to engage the recess in the abutting rail end.

2. A rail joint comprising abutting rail ends having laterally extending triangular enlargements and interengaging projections and recesses, said enlargements extending laterally beyond the base flanges 01' said rail ends, in combination With a chair consisting of a plate provided along its side edges with inturned flanges, said chair and the enlargements upon the'rail ends being provided with registering apertures for the passage of securing members, such as spikes.

3. In a device 01" the class described, the combination with a rail end having triangu lar enlargements extending laterally there from and beyond the base flange of said rail end, said rail end having a triangular recess formed therein, a projection carried by the end and disposed above the recess, of a sec ond rail end having triangular enlargements to aline with the enlargements of the first named rail end, said last named rail end having a recess i'ormed i its tread flange for receiving the projection, a triangular iin for engagement in the recess of the first named end, and a chair for said rail ends, said chair having portions at the sides thereof bent to engage the sides of the triangular enlargements.

in testimony whereof 1 afllX my signature n presence of two Witnesses.

OSCAR V. BERKLEY.

Witnesses I CHAS. I. DAWsoN, LEW TURNER. 

